Wire ring puzzle games are known to improve concentration, memory, imagination, ingenuity, determination and coordination of the user, in addition to provide great amusement. Although ring puzzle games belong to an old art, it is believed that there is a renewed interest in these games to develop logic and cleverness in children, and to improve dexterity and mental skills of persons recovering from accidents or illnesses. It is also believed that these ring puzzle games can be used by medical personnel to diagnose various affections and physical conditions, such as finger joint stiffness.
The wire ring puzzles that are of interest herein have not changed much during the last generation. These puzzles comprise a series of wire stems mounted along a straight line in a base. An eyelet is formed on the end of each stem, and a wire ring is mounted in that eyelet. Each ring, except the first one in the series encloses an adjacent stem, such that adjacent rings partly overlap each other. An elongated wire band is mounted through all the rings and encloses all the stems. The game consists of removing the wire band from the rings and the stems by doing a series of specific operations, and inserting the wire band back through the rings and around the stems to complete the game. This game has a moderate level of difficulty, as it can be solved by a majority of people. Moreover, the puzzle is portable and can be turned around to be played with either hand.
The ring puzzle game as known from the prior art is basically a solitary game where the player challenges himself/herself to complete the game without help from others. The common ring puzzle game is played by manipulating the wire band with the right hand if the user is right-handed, or with the left hand if the user is left-handed. In other words, there is no provision or stimulus in the prior art games to practice one hand more than the other.
Examples of the ring puzzles of the prior art are as follows;    CA Patent 444,591 issued to G. H. Smith on Oct. 21, 1947;    CA Patent 1,083,623 issued to C. Touchette on Aug. 12, 1980;    U.S. Pat. No. 2,998,253 issued to E. A. Kranzusch on Aug. 29, 1961;    U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,719 issued to L. M. Winslow on Oct. 17, 1972;    U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,732 issued to L. M. Winslow on May 6, 1975;    U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,901 issued to R. Flores on Jan. 4, 1977;    U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,805 issued to D. W. Watkins et al. on Mar. 13, 1990.
Although the prior art ring puzzles and games deserve undeniable merits, it is believed that a need still exists for a new game incorporating different levels of difficulty therein. Also, it is believed that a need still exists to make this game playable by two players at the same time, such as a mother and a child playing together for example. Further, it is believed that there is a need to incorporate in this game a level of difficulty which consists of manipulating the wire band with one's awkward hand.